The present invention relates to a device for accommodating a cartridge having enclosed therein a disk serving as a recording medium, and more particularly to a disk recording or playback apparatus.
FIG. 16 shows a cartridge 6 already proposed for enclosing therein a disk 60 serving as a recording medium. The cartridge 6 is provided on its upper wall with a slidable shutter 63, which partly exposes the disk 60 when opened. Positioning bores 61, 62 are formed in the lower wall of the cartridge 6.
FIG. 17 is a side elevation of an apparatus for recording signals on or reproducing signals from the disk 60 serving as a recording medium. In the following description, the direction in which the cartridge is inserted into the apparatus will be referred to as xe2x80x9cfront,xe2x80x9d and the direction in which it is ejected as xe2x80x9crear.xe2x80x9d
A holder 4 for placing the cartridge 6 therein has its base end pivoted as at 4a to one end of a chassis 5 having a turntable 7 mounted thereon. Provided between the holder 4 and the chassis 5 is a latch mechanism (not shown) for holding the holder 4 closed. Arranged at each of the front and rear ends of the chassis 5 are positioning pins 52, 52 fittable into the positioning bores 61, 62 of the cartridge 6. Each of the positioning pins 52 comprises a solid cylindrical prop 58 for supporting the bottom of the cartridge 6, and a conical guide projection 59 projecting upward from the top of the prop 58. The peripheral wall portions defining the positioning bores 61, 62 of the cartridge 6 descend while being guide by the respective projections 59 and rest on the tops of the props 58.
The holder 4 has an open free end, through which the cartridge 6 is inserted. The pivot 4a of the holder 4 has a torsion spring 49 fitted therearound for biasing the holder 4 upward. A rod 47 projecting from a side wall of the holder 4 is engaged in an upper end of a circular-arc slit 48 formed in a side wall of the chassis 5 to prevent the holder 4 from rising to a higher position.
When signals are to be recorded or reproduced, the cartridge 6 is first manually inserted into the holder 4 in a raised position. The positioning bores 61, 62 of the cartridge 6 are opposed to the positioning pins 52, 52. The holder 4 is then pivotally moved down by hand. The positioning bores 61, 62 are fitted around the guide projections 59 of the positioning pins 52, 52, the disk 60 is placed on the turntable 7, and signals are recorded or reproduced.
When signals are to be recorded or reproduced by positioning the cartridge 6 as opposed to the turntable 7, the above apparatus requires insertion of the cartridge 6 into the holder 7 and pushing of the holder 4 downward, namely, two manual movements. The present applicant has conceived the idea of making the apparatus more convenient to use by reducing this procedure to a single manual movement.
An object of the present invention is to position the cartridge as opposed to the turntable by a single manual movement.
A holder 4 has a spring attached to a base end thereof for biasing the holder 4 in a closing direction and a door 1 pivoted as at 1a to a free end thereof. The door 1 has a contact face positioned at a cartridge ejecting side of the pivot 1a and inclined with respect to the direction of insertion of a cartridge, and a kickout piece 12 positioned at a cartridge inserting side of the pivot 1a and movable into contact with a chassis 5 when the holder 4 is raised. The door 1 is biased by a spring in a direction for the contact face to close an opening of the holder 4. The door 1 is movable between an opened position in which the contact face is pushed by the cartridge 6 to expose the opening of the holder 4 when the cartridge 6 is inserted, and the kickout piece 12 pushes the chassis 5 to lift the holder 4 against the biasing force of the spring and a closed position in which the contact face returns in a direction to close the opening after the contact face is released from the cartridge 6 as the cartridge 6 is further inserted to permit descent of the holder 4.